Coll's 'Plod Squad' runs over 500 miles for Doddie Aid

Doddie Aid is a personal exercise challenge that kicked off on January 1, 2025 and rans for five weeks, raising funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is a charity set up by the Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir, who died from motor neuron disease (MND) in 2022, to raise funds to find a cure for the disease. He wore the number 5 jersey when he earned his 61 caps for Scotland.

Doddie Aid is a mass participation event founded by Doddie’s friend, the former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright, who is a farmer and volunteer firefighter on the island of Coll.

Since it was launched in 2021, 100,000 people have taken part, more than 9.5 million miles have been logged, and over £5 million has been raised for MND research - and the fundraisers have no intention of slowing down.

Off the back of the success of Rob’s Doddie Cup 500 ride in 2022, Doddie Cup 555 Ride in 2023, and All Roads Lead to Rome in 2024, the core team reunited for Doddie’s Grand Tour 2025.

The lead cyclists set off from Dublin on February 4, before being joined by the other teams to cover 800 miles over five days. The ride from from Stranraer to Edinburgh culminated with a celebration the capital on February 8, ahead of the Scotland v Ireland Six Nations match at Murrayfield on the 9th.

A team of firefighters and staff from East and West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute were among those at the finishing line. The team of 16, including eight cyclists and a support team consisting of eight, smashed their fundraising target of £10,000, donating over £12,600 to the foundation so far.

Among the cyclists were firefighter Barry McCutcheon and his daughter Isla, who celebrated her 19th birthday during the challenge. Area Commander Joe McKay said: “It’s a tough challenge. However, Doddie Aid is hugely rewarding and it’s all about raising money for a great cause.”

But it was not just cyclists taking part. Doddie’s Plod Squad was a team of nine women, plus a "phenomenal support crew" of two women, who ran a relay from Stranraer to Edinburgh - a distance of 155 miles - in just 3.5 days. All of the ’plodders’ have links to the Isle of Coll.

One of the runners, Jane Ham-Griffiths, said: "We have now done the maths and, collectively, we ran 520 miles!